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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. firm — a company
  3. suit — to fit
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. squash — the sport
  9. firm — steady
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. branch — a division
  14. rule — a law
  15. firm — decided
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. track — a path
  21. squash — to crush
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com